A REVOLUTION ON CANVAS

When the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits paintings by the acclaimed artist Nicky Nodjoumi shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, religious hardliners ambush the work sparking a family journey filled with art, survival, estrangement and love. Decades later, the renowned artist and his daughter Sara attempt to track down the missing paintings in hopes of reclaiming them. During the search, Sara, drawing on disarmingly frank conversations with both her father and mother, celebrated artist Nahid Hagigat, and grappling with complex feelings and mysteries tied to her upbringing, traces a timeline of events to understand the circumstances that led to her family’s personal history echoing the treacherous path of many immigrant families caught in the crossfire of politics and life. This hybrid political thriller and verité portrait dives into the mystery surrounding the “treasonous” paintings by the seminal painter who is not only one of the most celebrated Iranian modern artists, but also Sara’s father. This film is presented as part of the New American Perspectives program in partnership with the Vilcek Foundation. Directors Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.